SHATTERED DREAMS WHEN CRISIS AND SORROW MEET
• A QUALITATIVE STUDY ABOUT WHAT SUPPORT PARENTS TO BRAIN DAMAGED CHILDREN DURING DELIVERY GET
Sitnik, Magdalena. Shattered dreams when crisis and sorrow meet - a qualitative study about what support parents to brain damaged children during delivery get with a focus on parents. Examination paper in social work, 15p. Malmö University: Faculty of health and society, Department of health and society, 2016.
Many parents who are expecting a child dream and create a mental image of their unborn baby. So when the parents are told that their new born child has got brain damage during delivery, parents end up in a situation of crisis and sorrow. The study shows that there are not many children who are brain damage during delivery in Sweden on a yearly basis. Therefore, the purpose of the study has been to explore what support parents to brain damaged children during delivery get.
This study explores what support professionals in neonatal clinics experience that parents whose children are brain injured during delivery are in need of. My study also illustrates how professionals meet these needs of individuals and how they treat and respond to those parents in neonatal clinics.
Study results show that the crisis and the grief process are similarly and can merge into each other. Both the crisis and grief is not time-bound and can be slowed and also pull back in their respective stages. Results also show that professionals in neonatal clinics must have an individual approach towards their clients. They offer practical as well as socio-psychological support and assistance for these parents whose children are brain injured during delivery. The professionals meet the parents’ needs by listening to them carefully. The results also point out the importance of cooperation between professions and organizations to provide the best possible help for those parents.
Keywords: brain damage during birth, disabled, crisis, dream child, grief, not perfect child, parents.